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In worldwide conditions of increasingly antibiotic-resistant hospital infections, it is important to research alternative therapies.  Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus  bacteria naturally prey on Gram-negative pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant strains and so  B. bacteriovorus  have been proposed as “living antibiotics” to combat antimicrobially-resistant pathogens. Predator-prey interactions are complex and can be altered by environmental components. To be effective  B. bacteriovorus  predation needs to work in human body fluids such as serum where predation dynamics may differ to that studied in laboratory media. Here we combine mathematical modelling and lab experimentation to investigate the predation of an important carbapenem-resistant human pathogen,  Klebsiella pneumoniae , by  B. bacteriovorus  in human serum versus buffer. We show experimentally that  B. bacteriovorus  is able to reduce prey numbers in each environment, on different timescales. Our mathematical model captures the underlying dynamics of the experimentation, including an initial predation-delay at the predator-prey-serum interface. Our research shows differences between predation in buffer and serum and highlights both the potential and limitations of  B. bacteriovorus  acting therapeutically against  K. pneumoniae  in serum, informing future research into the medicinal behaviours and dosing of this living antibacterial.

Measuring and modelling the response of Klebsiella pneumoniae KPC prey to Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus predation, in human serum and defined buffer